Solar Water Heating

Solar Water Heating
Its time has come

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Solar Pool Heating


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsA_IJWHnrE  Video of how Solar Pool systems are installed,

Solar Pool Heating is done very simply by adding Plastic Solar panels "tubes", to your roof. Each Panel is 4'x10' or larger 4'x12', all connected together. The pool pump pushes water up to the panels on the roof, or on a ground mounted system, using the sun to heat the water. An added benefit is that the panels shade the roof, and keep the roof cool during the day. Panels really need to be facing South or West for the best results.

Solar Pool heating extends your swim season, an example is that last fall, my pool was warm all the way into November, but we had a very mild fall. This year I started my system in March and the pool was up to 80 degrees one week after startup. Weather each year varies, so each year this will be different, however, most pools without solar only get warm closer to June.

the third benefit of Solar is that the panels, or "tubes" are actually a "radiator", so when my pool gets too warm in July/August, I run my pool pump and filter the pool through the panels at night, cooling the pool down !  no one likes to swim in "bath water" warm pools, and most do not like a cold pool. so Solar does double duty most of the year, and lets you enjoy your pool more.

give us a call to help you decide what size pool system you need, and we can help you along the decision process!

Jay

Thursday, January 15, 2015

2015 Renewable energy in Texas

 
As of this writing, the price of Solar power has gone down to a very affordable market price. Today the current cost of the Solar panels alone is around $0.80 per watt. Just 5 short years ago that price was significantly higher ($2.00) per watt. This changes the price of the panels alone on a 5KW system (pictured) to $4000 today, instead of $10,000 from just a few short years ago. Cost of Racks, inverters, and labor will change based on who you use to install.
 The question now is, should I invest in solar technology? The cost of power from grid providers is also very low. When will it go up? when will the grid market change? and how with that affect me?

The great thing is that the price of mounting racks, inverters, and other equipment to install has also gone down over the last few years, and makes looking at supplimenitng your power needs more appealing.

The cost of natural gas has stayed low over recent history, but looking at solar water heating is still a really good option for heating water.

This past year, I turned on my Solar Pool heater in March and was able to swim until November. Here in the DFW area we get all kinds of weather. This year was very mild and did not get cold until late in the season. Solar Pool heating is simply transferring heat from your roof or ground mount system to the pool water flowing through the plastic tubes. The heat transfer also worked very well in the summer time to cool the pool down, I just ran my pool pump at night instead of during the day and the pool was always kept at a constant temperature.

Solartexas.com is committed to helping people understand renewable energy.

I am currently doing consulting and design, but if you have a question about any renewables, Please feel free to call or email.

Have a great day!

Jay